brown



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

R. I. BROWN. BELTING FOR TRANSMISSION OF POWER.

No. 543,123. Patented July 28,1895;

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. I. BROWN. BBLTING FOR TRANSMISSION or POWER. No. 543,123. PatentedJuly 23, 1895.

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WITNESSES.- INV NTOR V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT INGM. BROWN, OF NEW YORK, N; Y;

BELTING FOR TRANSMISSION OF POWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 543,123, dated July 23,1895.

Application filed August 26, 1891- Serial No. 403,818. (No modeli) ToaZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT INGRAM BROWN, a citizen of the United States,residing in New York, in the county and State of New York, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Belting for the Transmission of Power,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the use of a flexible metal band passing in anendless circle over wheels, 850., for transmitting power, and theobjects of my improvements are, first, to increase the percentage ofwear permissible before exceeding the margin of safety; secondly, toreduce thediameter of wheels necessary for easy and rapid flexion of theband when passing around them, and, thirdly, to remove the possibilityof slip between 'the band and wheels while reducing the tensionordinarily given to prevent such slipping; and the means whereby Iattain these objects are particularly set forth in the claimshereinafter following.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, Figure l is asection, and Fig. 2 a side View of the usual method of uniting wires forthe transmission of power. Fig. 3 shows their action with small wheelsat high speed. Fig. 4. is an end view. Fig. 5 is a top' View, and Fig. 6is a side view, of one manner of arranging and uniting the separatewires for the transmission of power according to my invention. Figs.7and' 8 show their application with pulleys.

Similar lettersrefer to similar parts throughout the several views.

When a wire rope is bent in a curve, as around a wheel, each individualwire 0, Figs. 1 and 2, slides longitudinally on its neighbor in theendeavor to equalize the strain produced on itself. Otherwise that partof each wire which is in the part of the rope on the outside A, Fig. 2,of the bend would have the most tensile strain, while that on the insideB, Fig. 2, of the bend might even be in compression. This internalsliding friction and resistance to bending a wire rope is an importantelement in determining the diameter of a wheel. It-can be satisfactorilyrun over or around. In high angular speeds of the wheel it has a verystrong tendency to reduce the contact of the wire rope with the wheel,as illustrated in Fig. 3, because the former gage with the sprockets,the rope cannot slip around the wheel. Where attached these clips mustnecessarily grip the rope very firmly to prevent their slipping.Consequently, when bendingaround the wheels the separate strands of therope are prevented from freely sliding on each other, and this increasesthe rigidity of the rope, the power taken to opcrate it, and thediameter of the wheel it should run over; but by-reducing the size ofthe rope and using two or more, parallel and fastened to the same clip,less power will be exhausted in bending, because the sides A and B, Fig.2, will be nearer the center of the rope, and therefore their tensionless unequal, and a wheel of less diameter may be used. The fact stillremains that if the ordinary wire rope is made of wires of, say,one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter, and that much (one-sixteenth ofaninch) should be worn off the outside of the rope, all the wires wouldbe cut into short pieces and the rope have practically no tensilestrength. Yet the onesixteenth of an inch worn off the outside would bea comparatively small proportion of the total inthe rope, the remainingpart being worse than useless, as it has required power to keep it inmotion and especially to bend it around the wheels.

' In my invention, by using single wires 0, Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 8, nottwisted into a rope, but arranged straight and-parallel to each other,fastened or united together at suitable intervals by suitable clips D,which are rigidly attached thereto, Figs. 4:, 5, 6, 7, and 8, spacingthem as convenient and so that they will all travel on the same pitchline, and are adapted to ride directly on the wheels E, Figs.

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above mentioned, in bending a wire rope of many times the diameter ofeach wire.

In my invention each wire C stands its full duty in wear throughout itslength, except where covered by the clips D, and when worn out therewill not be a great mass of metal which was twisted inside and receivedlittle wear. Instead, a part of this weight will be retained in theclips, which, however, perform active service in preventing slip on thewheels, but do not consume power to be bent around them. Consequently,where a large wire rope was used at low tensile strain, the size beingnecessary to give surface contact with the wheel for frictional grip andthe whole requiring to be bent, I can use much less wire at a hightensile strain and run it around much smaller wheels, because it willbend so much easier.

In the drawings, Figs. 4:, 5, 6, and 7, the wires are shown united byclips, which leave one side of the belt with an uninterrupted smoothsurface. This is an importautfactor where belts are to be crossed orused on idlers or other wheels not recessed for the clips below theriding line of the wires, but it is not necessary to all belts embodyingmy invention.

Any number of wires may be used. To secure the completest possiblefreedom from stretch, which stretch would destroy the correct pitch ofthe cross-bars or clips and make the whole inoperative, and to obtainthe maximum use of all the material, and therefore weight that itcontains, it is preferable that the wire should be of a uniform sectionthroughout its length, and it should be free from irregularities ofgrain or fiber caused in the manufacture and from perforations or otherreductions of sectional area at places which may be worn or weakened bythe use of the belt. For this reason drawn wire is preferable as havingthe straightest, toughest, and most regular fibers.

Several methods may be used for attaching the clips to the wires andvarious kinds of wheels utilized, but I prefer those described andclaimed in other specifications of mine for Letters Patent.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A belt for the transmission of power composed of two or more wiresarranged parallel to each other, and securely united together by meansof clips, or other suitable fastening devices, which are rigidlyattached to said wires at intervals only of their length and leave theinner face of the belt without projections.

2. A belt for the transmissionofpowercomposed of two or more separate,drawn wires arranged parallel to and prevented from having frictionalcontact with each other, and rigidly united together without materiallyre ducing their sectional area and without projections, in the line ofthe wire, on the inner face of the belt.

3. Abelt forthe transmission of power, composed of sep ate, drawn wiresarranged parallel to each other, and securely united together, withoutmaterially reducingtheir sectional area, by means of clips or othersuitable fastening devices which are rigidly attached to said wires atintervals of their length, said wires being prevented from havingfrictional contact with each other and having an uninterrupted sideadapted to ride directly on the same pitch line over wheels or pulleys.

ROBT. INGM. BROWN.

Witnesses:

P. NICHOLS, CHARLES BITTNER.

